Scotch block



S. W. HAYES SCOTCH BLOCK March 25, 1941.

Filed Nov. 2, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 25, 1941.

S. W. HAYES SCOTCH BLOCK Filed NOV. 2, 1939 2 SheetsSheet 2 v v v are applicable to rails without the Patented Mar. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs Hayes Track Appliance Company, Richmond,

Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application November 2, 1939, Serial No. 302,498 Gfilaims. (Cl. 104-258) The present invention is directed to the improvement of car wheel stops of the type commonly known as Scotch blocks or thelike used on railway tracks. .It is directed particularly to Scotch blocks of the type disclosed in Patent No. 1,801,917 granted to the present applicant, which are slidably mounted upon rails and provided with portions extending below the base of the rail into the plane of the rail-supporting ties for transmission ofthe shock of impact to the road bed.

Scotch blocks constructed in accordance with the disclosure of the above-mentioned patent provide a cushion stop for the car wheels. This results from the fact that the force of the car wheel impact is transmitted to and effects a slight movement of the ties in the road bed. It is this slight movement that provides a cushionlike shock absorbing resistance which minimizes damage to either the cars or rails. The blocks necessity of drilling either the blocks or the rails and are designed for application to rails of different sizes.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a simplified wheel stop of this type having greater strength and adapted to be manufactured at lower cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description in the course of which reference. is had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a pair of Scotch blocks constructed in accordance with the present invention mounted in place upon the track;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view on a larger scale of one of the blocks;

Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the block of Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the tie abutting saddle utilized in the construction of the block.

Referring now to the figures, the Scotch block, indicated generally by reference character l0, may be seen to comprise a pair of identical side plates 2 cut from plate steel of one-half inch thickness. The plates are secured together at their front ends and spread divergently or ob-' liquely apart at their rear ends, thereby to form a tapered structure. The front ends are secured together by welding them to a plurality of vari ously shaped spacing blocks l4, l6, I8, 20 and .22

of contact of the plates.

placed between the plates in the manner clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, particularly the latter. Additional spacing blocks may be utilized if de-' sired. The forward ends of the plates are seated upon the rail and the spaced apart rear ends are 5 welded to an inverted substantially U-shaped rail saddle or bracket 26, hereinafter referred to as a saddle, cut from steel plate one inch thick. This is best done by terminating the rear ends 28 of the plates l2 in vertically disposed surfaces so 10 that these may be welded to the front face 3% of the saddle 26.

The saddle extends well below the base of the rail so as to be in a position to transmit the force of the impact of a car wheel againstthe block to the tie and ballast. The saddle is made sufficiently wide so that the force of the impact is distributed over a considerable portion of the tie face. The saddle 26 also provides a means for centering the rear'end of the block upon the rail, and the downwardly extending portions 32 are dimensioned so that the saddle fits over the largest size rail for which the block is designed. More specifically, the portions 3 3 are spaced apart far enough to fit over the largest size rail base and the portions 36 are spaced apart a sufficient distance to fit over the largest size rail head.

Additional strength and rigidity are given to the block by a center plate 38 of generally tri- 3O angular shape. The base of this triangularly shaped center plate is welded to the transverse portion 40 of the saddle and the converging sides are Welded to the plates [2 in the same manner as the spacing blocks. disposed at an angle with respect to the rail, as best shown in Fig. 5.

The wheel abutment 42 is formed, as may be noted from Figs. 3 and 4, of a width greater than the combined widths of plates l2, by cutting the 40 plates back from their line of contact; i. e., the line from which their divergence commences and which passes between the upper and lower parts This construction eliminates all unnecessary stresses in the plates 45 and provides an abutment ofa width sufficient to engage a considerable portion of the car wheel and at the same time permits the use of relatively thin plates. The abutment has a curvature corresponding to the contour of the car 0 Wheel and the block itself has a height substantially equal to the distance the car wheel axle extends above the rail.

The front or abutment end of the block is secured to the rail ,by' non-cramping clamping The center plate is also 35 iii) means 44. This clamping means comprises an openable loop structure adjustably supported from the plates by a pin 46 extending through the plates and apertured at its ends for the reception of a pair of parallel vertically disposed bolts 48 secured together at their lower ends by a cylindrical cross bar 56 welded thereto. A spacer 5| is welded to pin 45 to prevent pin .5 from moving transversely of the wheel stop. Nuts 52 are threaded to the upper ends of the bolts and provide a means for drawing the cross bar 50 into engagement with the under sides of rails of different size. The cross bar 50 is forced to travel in unison with the block by means of a pair of eye bars 54 so as to prevent binding of the cross bar against the lower surface of the rail base. To accomplish this end, the bolts 48 are passed through the eyes 56 of the eye bars, and the offset portions 58 of the latter are hooked through apertures at the lower ends of the divergent plates [2.

The front or abutment end of the block is centered upon the rail by a pair of eccentrically bored centering blocks 80, adjustably mounted upon downwardly extending pins 62 by means of fixed horizontal pins E i. The pins 62 extend nearly to the tops of and are welded to tubular blocks 66 welded in turn to the outer surfaces of the plates [2. The described construction of the front end centering means provides an easy means for centering the front end, as this can be accomplished simply by changing the angular positions of the blocks so that they always substantiall abut against the sides of the rail head.

From the above detailed description of the Scotch block of the present invention, it may be seen that the block may be constructed for the most part from metallic plate. The plate itself can be cut by means of a torch or otherwise into pieces having substantially the contours illustrated and described. After the cutting of the pieces, they may be readily assembled and welded together to form a Scotch block of great strength. Furthermore, the block may be fabricated very economically.

In the installation of the block, the side bolts and lower cross bar of the openable loop structure are removed, and the block set on the rail with the rear face of the saddle near or against the tie. Ihe front end of the block is centered by turning the eccentric spacing blocks on their pivots to provide a rail receiving space suited to the particular rail. The lower cross bar of the yoke is passed under the rail and connected by the side bolts to the top bar after the vertically disposed rods 43 have been properly positioned. It is customary to use the blocks in pairs as illustrated in Fig. l, the members of which are located opposite each other in the track but are unconnected, each block being supported wholly by its engagement with the rail upon which it is mounted.

In operation, the Scotch block, being properly centered and held upright on the rail, transmits the impact on the front end thereof to the saddle through the side plates, and the latter in turn transmits the stress of the impact to the tie. The tie yields more or less, depending upon the nature of the ballast, to provide what has been previously termed a cushion stop.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A Scotch block comprising two united plates with their front ends overlying the top of the rail and their rear ends flanking and extending below the base of the rail, a rail saddle consisting of a substantially U-shaped plate connecting the rear ends of said plates, said saddle resting upon and straddling the rail, and means for holding the front end of the block on top of the rail.

2. A Scotch block comprising a pair of obliquely disposed united plates with their front ends overlying the top of the rail and their rear ends flanking and extending below the base of the rail, a rail saddle consisting of a substantially U-shaped plate connecting the rear ends of said plates, said saddle resting upon and straddling the rail, a center plate disposed above the rail and connecting said pair of plates, and means for holding the front end of the block on top of the rail.

3. A Scotch block adapted to seat on and straddle a rail and slide thereon under car wheel impact, including a pair of obliquely disposed plates having their front ends overlying the top of the rail and their rear ends flanking and extending below the base of the rail, said front ends being contoured to receive the wheel and said rear ends terminating in vertically disposed surfaces, means connectin the front ends together, means for holding the front end of the block on top of the rail, and a rail saddle resting upon and straddling the rail and consisting of a substantially U- shaped plate welded in inverted position to said vertically disposed surfaces for connecting the rear ends of the plates together.

4. A Scotch block adapted to seat on and straddie a rail and slide thereon under car wheel impact, including a pair of obliquely disposed plates having their front ends overlying the top of the rail and their rear ends flanking and extending below the base of the rail, said front ends being contoured to receive the wheel and said rear ends terminating in vertically disposed surfaces, means connecting the front ends together, means for holding the front end of the block on top of the rail, a rail saddle resting upon and straddling the rail and consisting of a substantially U-shaped plate welded in inverted position to said vertically disposed surfaces for connecting the rear ends of the plates together, and a center plate having oblique sides welded to said pair of plates above the surface of the rail.

5. A Scotch block adapted to seat on and straddle a rail and slide thereon under car wheel impact, including a pair of obliquely disposed plates having their front ends overlying the top of the rail and their rear ends flanking and extending below the base of the rail from points slightly above the top of the rail, said front ends being contoured to receive the wheel and said rear ends terminating in vertically disposed surfaces, means connecting the front ends together, means for holdin the front end of the block on top of the rail, a rail saddle resting upon and straddling the rail and consisting of a substantially U-shaped plate welded in inverted position to said vertically disposed surfaces for connecting the rear ends of the plates together, and acenter plate having oblique sides welded to said pair of plates and said U-shaped plate above the surface of the rail.

6. A Scotch block adapted to seat on and straddle a rail and slide thereon under car wheel impact, including a pair of obliquely disposed plates having their front ends overlying the top of the rail and their rear ends flanking and extending below the base of the rail from points slightly above the top of the rail, said front ends being contoured to receive the wheel and said rear ends terminating in vertically disposed surfaces, means connecting the front ends together, means for holding the front end of the block on top of the rail, said last mentioned means comprising a pin extending through the plates above the rail and a spacer welded to said pin for preventing lateral movement thereof, a rail saddle resting upon and straddling the rail and consisting of a substantially U-shaped plate welded in inverted position to said vertically disposed surfaces for connecting the rear ends of the plates together, and a center plate having oblique sides welded to said pair of plates and said U-shaped plate above the surface of the rail.

STANLEY W. HAYES. 

